We’ve accumulated quite a few bonefishing tips on our blog over the years. So, today we figured why not add a few more? Here are..
3 Random Bonefishing Tips
- Fish in the Mangroves – Loosen up! By all means try to keep your fish out of the mangroves, but if you can’t turn him away from the sticks, try loosening up! Back off your drag as much as you can without causing backlash. Most of the time bonefish are going to pull in the opposite direction they feel pressure, and backing off the drag can sometimes cause them to relax, keeping them from digging further into the mangroves. Plus, by loosening up, your leader and tippet is less susceptible to being sawed off on a mangrove shoot, hopefully allowing you to finagle your line out of the brush to your fish.
- Strip Set, THEN Raise the Rod. Anglers the world over have heard not to ‘trout set‘ (raising the rod as you would on trout) when setting the hook on bonefish. However, a distinction often missed by those new to bonefish is that after you set the hook, you should still raise the rod in order to fight the fish. So, to simplify – Strip until you feel the fly stop, continue your strip to set the hook, raise the rod, and enjoy the fight. Failure to raise the rod after the strip set will most likely lead to a break off.
- Use Good Hooks. For all the fly tyers out there, don’t skimp on quality hooks! Quality fish require quality hooks and although the majority of bonefish are under 10 pounds, good strong hooks are really important. For smaller fish (lets say in the 2-3 pound range), most of your run of the mill saltwater hooks will be fine. However, when making a shot at a big boy, the strength of your hook is the last thing you want to think about. We’ve heard many, many stories of double digit bonefish coming unbuttoned because the hook opened up. Don’t be that guy!
I only use 2X strong or stronger for all of my flies. Most of my Bonefish hooks are Gama SL11-3H.